1. Outside of the Maidstone Urban Area, the Rural Service Centres and Larger Villages, the council will work with parish councils and local stakeholders to bring forward affordable local needs housing for its rural communities in line with the latest government guidance. The council will grant planning permission subject to the following criteria.

2. Development has been proven necessary by a local needs housing survey approved by the council which has been undertaken by or on behalf of the parish council(s) concerned. In consultation with the parish council and prospective provider of social/affordable housing (registered provider or build to rent landlord).

3. The council in line with the requirements of national planning policy will determine the number, size, type and tenure of homes to be developed after assessing the results of the survey. The council will also use the housing register and SHMA to determine where there may be unmet housing needs.

4. In the first instance affordable local needs housing will remain available in perpetuity to meet the need for which it was permitted. This will be secured by planning conditions and/or legal agreements as appropriate. If this cannot be done, then the subsidy applied will be recycled into alternative affordable housing provision.

5. Sustainability of the site and its settlement will be a prime consideration in decision making. The council will give preference to settlements and communities where a range of community facilities and services, in particular school, health, and shopping are accessible from the site preferably on foot, by cycle or on public transport. The site must also be safely accessible to and from the public highway by all vehicles using the site at all times.

6. The scale of development must be in proportion to the context of the settlement where it is located.

7. Where a proposed development for First Homes lies adjacent to the existing settlement and is located outside the Green Belt and National Landscape.

8. Applications for First Homes will be required to deliver 100% First Homes, unless there is a significant identified local need for other types of affordable housing. Where it can be demonstrated that it is necessary to incorporate market housing to enable delivery of First Homes, any market housing element of the scheme should make up a limited proportion of the overall number of dwellings to be provided.

9. Where national landscape, ecological and heritage designations are affected by the proposed development, proposals must have regard to the designation and its purpose whilst complying with national policy and guidance. Development proposals shall have regard to areas of higher landscape sensitivity and heritage value.

10. Any loss of biodiversity is to be offset elsewhere in line with policy LPRSP14(A).

The delivery of this policy is outlined further in the Affordable and Local Needs Housing Supplementary Planning Document 2020 or successor documents.

For more information, please visit Maidstone’s Local Plan Maidstone Borough Council Local Plan 2021-2038